Category Archives: Mom

The last few months have been really fun. Matt’s been off on paternity leave, and I have been off as well, so we’ve really been enjoying bonding as a family. Having your first baby is quite the transition – and in our case specifically, to go from being a married couple for 6 years and then having your first baby and now being your own family – it was so wonderful to both have time off to adapt to these changes together!

We have been visiting friends and family in the Niagara region every month or so, which is awesome because Levi has some grandparents, GREAT grandparents, aunts, uncle AND sweet cousins (also boys 🙂 ) to interact with! We went to check out the local zoo, and have been on many walks exploring different parks. He’s just at such a fun age and his personality is starting to shine through. He loves to giggle and explore absolutely everything around him! He just started this drag crawl (army crawl? 🙂 ) and is starting to get around the house. I’m both excited and slightly terrified to see him as a fully mobile toddler 😉 .He is now drinking a bit from his sippy cup and eating some solids – he always seems so eager to try new things! I’m quite proud of our little guy 😀 .

The other week we got some wonderful family photos taken by Laura Fretz Photography, which was perfect as I wanted some updated shots for our gallery wall!

I am definitely looking forward to what Summer brings and we are excited to introduce Levi to activities like picnicking, camping and going to the beach.

So our order of cloth diapers just came in and so far I’m liking them. We have a good sized stash and now that Levi is beginning to outgrow his newborn disposables, we’ve started to implement these bad boys. We came up with a plan to cloth diaper while I was pregnant, and I’m glad we’re deciding to stick with it! We didn’t want to order numerous sizes (can you say “expensive”?! 😛 ) so we wanted to wait until he was at least 8lbs. Having been born a little premature, it has taken a little while to reach this point but he’s finally surpassed that! Babies always lose a little at first, and getting him up to his birth weight was a small feat of its own (having had difficulty with his latch in the beginning 😥 )!

Now, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with disposable diapers, nor do I have any judgemental thoughts about exclusively using disposables (or cloth). To each their own! But we decided to use disposables at first while newborn babies excrete meconium. Also the added expense of purchasing the newborn sized cloth diapers was a tough pill to swallow. We also received quite a few packages of disposables at Levi’s baby showers, so having taken that into account, we opted to use those overnight as well as when we go out. That being said, we finally placed our order and I actually found myself EXCITED to receive the shipment in the mail! There’s just so many cute colours and patterns – a mom could really get carried away! 😉

Cute, right?! And it’s great because diapers really do add up, and although cloth are more of an expense up front, you’ll get your monies worth out of them. Especially if you reuse them on more than one baby! We opted for more gender neutral prints for this reason. 😉

So we basically had no idea about cloth diapers, so we read reviews and asked friends. Upon discussing the diapers, the topic of wipes came up. I began searching for a do-it-yourself wipe “recipe” . There were disposable ones (think paper towels), but I figured why not do cloth wipes as well?! We may as well go all. the. way :D. We snatched a couple packs of cloths (10)and emptied a case of Huggies disposables wipes. Figured it could be reused to store my cloth ones and – voila! Now, you can always use whatever material you want, be it flannel or heck – even bamboo! And it’s on my to-do list to eventually mod podge over the container with some scrapbook paper or fabric. 🙂

Now, don’t go reading this and dismiss the idea yet! I wouldn’t steer ya wrong. I know how precious your time is! But, they’re actually pretty fast and simple to make. It literally takes me maybe 5 minutes every 3 or 4 days to make a new batch! Pretty good, if you ask me.

2). I add just a few cloths to the wipe ingredients at a time. Wring them out slightly before placing on a flat surface. Now we fold them so they’ll fit into our wet wipes container.

3). Place one cloth down flat, and lay another on top of half of it…(see below).

4). Bring the bottom half (that’s been tucked under the top cloth) up…

5). Place another wet cloth on top of the bottom part you just folded up…

6.) Now you can fold the top half down. Continue this pattern until all your wash cloths have been soaked in the soap mixture and folded.

7.) Place them inside your emptied container. If you have a wipes warmer these would work well in that too! Pull the first wipe out of the top slightly so it’s ready to be used when it’s time. 😉 All your wipes should come out after one another if they’ve been folded correctly.

Super easy! Now you know exactly what’s going on your baby’s delicate skin. They’re reusable and eco-friendly, and you don’t have to worry about those dangerous chemicals that are found in disposables! And I tell, ya – they make clean up a cinch. It may seem like a hassle at first, but once you’ve tried them and you see how much better they work than disposables, you might decide to make the change a permanent one in your home as well. 🙂

Hey bloggy friends! How was your weekend? Ours was relaxing, which was nice after the whirlwind of the holidays and so many jam-packed weekends.

I mentioned how I’d likely be posting more about maternity, pregnancy and all things baby related now that I’m a new mom. 🙂 Today I thought it appropriate to blog about baby items that have been making things a heck of a lot easier when you have a newborn!

1. Sophie la Girafe – Every child loves Sophie! She’s a toy, she’s a teether, and she’s so cute! A squeaky, BPA free that is durable, fun and engaging and easy for little fingers to grip. Levi is still too young to REALLY appreciate miss Sophie, but in a few months he’s bound to love her.

2. Ikea Krama washcloths– Cotton, and soft for your babies skin. We use them under Levi’s bum (on top of his change pad cover) in an effort to keep the change pad clean longer! So far they’ve been working great. They’re cheap too – a 10 pack for $5.99.

3.Nose Frida Snot Sucker– Made in Sweden, doctor invented and recommended, it’s a hygienic baby booger buster! It’s proven to be highly effective when Levi has his first cold a couple of weeks ago.

4. Huggies Clutch and Clean – Refillable, hypoallergenic wet wipes. I keep these in our diaper bag. Even though we are making cloth wipes, it’s great to have this carry case for wet wipes when we’re out and about. The case comes in fun prints and patterns and hangs anywhere too, which is handy 😀 .

5. Ikea Tutig Baby Care Mat– Easy to keep clean, easy to store, easy to fold…it’s a large surface and great for changing dirty diapers on. It’s a large surface, and machine washable, and has a waterproof backing. Love it.

6. Medela Pump In Style Advanced Electric Breast Pump– Great for daily use and easy to clean parts. It’s electric and has a double pump, so it cuts pumping time in half – which is convenient! The pump is in a bag that’s portable and discreet and you can choose the style of bag that suits you. It comes with a cooler and freezer pack, BPA- free bottles, freezer bags, and quick clean micro- steam bags. Definitely worth checking out for sure! Love mine.

7. Aden & Anais Muslin Swaddle Blankets – They’re soft, a great size and durable. Plus they’re multi-purpose – use for swaddling, as a receiving blanket, and/or nursing cover. Plus, makes a cute pashmina for your outfits if you choose to wear it. They come in numerous patterns and colours.

8. Phillips Avent Natural Bottles – The New Philips Avent Natural bottle is the most natural way to bottle feed. They say that this bottle comes closest to feeding at the breast, and can be combined with breastfeeding. The bottles are BPA free and come in 4oz. and 9oz. sizes in a 3 pack!

9. Board book & Stuffed Bear “I Love You Through and Through”– An adorable rhyming story of unconditional love with adorable illustrations of a toddler and a teddy bear. The book has sturdy cardstock pages and a padded cover with rounded corners for safe handling by little ones. And the little bear is super cute and is little enough to be toted around in baby’s diaper bag without taking up too much space! 🙂

There is a website (I’ll share it below) that offers free car seat canopies – you just pay the shipping! It comes in various patterns and is lined with warm minky fabric. I love my chevron one :D. Great when your baby is born in the colder months.

I love that this is not only a bouncer, but a swing too! Levi loves his and it was given to him by 2 of his aunts and uncles 😀 . It plays soothing tones (crashing waves, crickets chirping) which are more like white noise, as well as more upbeat lullabies.

This item is perfect if your stroller is in need of cup holders. I use it when I’m shopping as I can zip up any cards I take in. Plus that part is detachable and can be worn as a wristlet. The middle section between the cup holders is perfect for smaller parcels.

I LOVE my diaper bag! I’ve had my eye on Skip Hop diaper bags before I was even pregnant. One of my many favourite shower gifts – isnt it beautiful?! I feel as though I should be vacationing in the French Riviera 😀 ! I didn’t choose it completely based on its appearance, however. It’s as functional as it is stylish. It has enough room for all my baby necessities, plus a shallower section that I can use instead of my purse. It also has sections for bottles, an adjustable shoulder strap, and a travel change pad is included! I’ll be doing a blog post in the next few weeks sharing about it more specifically 😉 .

I’ve heard a lot of good things about the city select, and it has stood up to it’s good reviews! For one thing it’s extremely versatile as it grows with family, and has numerous seating options and positions. We have a compatible car seat and the car seat adapter so it can pop right onto the stroller. It’s easy to fold and unfold, as well as easy to lock. It maneuvers beautifully. The handlebars are adjustable making it very ergonomic. The storage basket below is quite large too! My number one top reason for picking this stroller is the fact that it converts to a double when the time is needed 😉 !

So there ya have it! My favourite baby products that are out there on the market. And I’m sure as he continues to grow, there’ll be new items that I’ll use and learn to love. Hope you have a great week!